As the Ashes has waned and holidays have dawned, I have found myself watching more youtube highlights. I have gravitated to the 1979-80 summer, the “peace” season after the split by World Series Cricket ended in Packer’s Tilsit Peace. Joel Garner cleaning up Greg Chappell, that sort of thing.

It was peak cricket interest for me, I was 12 when WSC broke and almost 15 when the band got back together. Playing at school, on weekends and in the street. Old enough to work holiday jobs in the Tandy warehouse and spend the money on Marella Jubes to share with John Emburey on the fence during the lulls in the day-nighters.

I was strong establishment in the first season, a Craig Serjeant, Thommo and Wayne Clark man. The strong WA presence in the team for the Windies in 1977-78 warmed my heart, and I remember cheering Serjeant and Wood on as they got us home in the 3rd Test.

By the second season, the dreary nature of the Ashes, outside of Hoggy’s excellence and anger, made me flirt a bit with WSC. I liked “Big” Garth Le Roux and Imran. Watching Viv and Barry bat together was something else. The Australians other than GS Chappell and Lillee weren’t really much chop. Still, my priority was the Test team, the Kim Hughes thing was starting (Serjeant having a major loss of form), and the Pakistan games were riveting. The World Cup came and went with Porter a new star. We got sod all news reports about the India tour later that year but I perused the scorecards regularly and noted how consistent Hughes was.

When the peace was announced, I had mixed feelings. But I vowed to gobble it all up.

Sitting here now, I think there’s a few “truths” that underpin the narrative about these times:

Australia were full of stars and they all went to WSC

Australia was weak during WSC

Australia was strong after WSC because the WSC players were available.

These are all contestable. For instance, not long after the glory of 74-75 and 75-76, we were mediocre in the following season against Pakistan. Squibbed the fight in Adelaide and got destroyed in Sydney. Let England score 400+ in the 4th dig of the Centenary Test. Contrived to choose Davis, Serjeant, Hookes, Cosier, Hughes and Robinson in batting slots for an Ashes, with Pascoe and Malone uncapped and O’Keeffe and Bright the spinners. If Thommo wasn’t injured, Lillee was. Post Redpath/Stackpole/Sheahan/Chappells/Walters, we had churned through Francis, Davis, Woodcock, two Edwards, Turner, and Yallop, none of who were picked for the 77 squad.

For what it’s worth, the 77-79 Test team did better than is remembered. They won a tight series against a full strength India 3-2. They met the full might of the Windies on awful wickets, but recovered to shade the second sub-series against non-WSC players. They were closer to England than 5-1 suggests, being in position to win at least 4 matches but collapsing as an inexperienced lineup with poor captaincy and revolving door selection, a rubbish tail and some dodgy umpiring demands. They then should have beaten full-strength Pakistan 2-0, and were very honourable in a 2-0 loss from 6 against India – we would take that today!

But this story is about the third point, it’s about the selection of a combined team in 79-80. Because, as with some of the decisions today, it’s hard to see how and why decisions were made. But it’s also clear that some WSC guys were backed in – and didn’t cut it.

Two mini-series of 3 tests against each of England and the West Indies was announced. These tests would be interwined, a unique situation. And inter-intertwining would be a plethora of limited overs matches.

Christian Ryan in his Golden Boy masterpiece reports that none of the experts asked to pick their combined squads had reigning Australian test captain, Kim Hughes, in them – despite coming off almost 600 runs at 59 in India. This was the mood… the WSC heroes were going to come back and take up what was rightfully theirs.

With all bans lifted, the players were free to play grade and Shield. The Shield started while the India tour was on, so some guys got a headstart.

This was a reasonable compromise between the two squads to kick off the summer. Laird had a ton against NSW. McCosker however had no big scores but had some handy runs in the French Fries Cup. This team had played a one-dayer against the Windies, Hughes and Chappell getting us home, me on the Hill in full Cornetto-devouring mode.

In the test, Hughes and Chappell batted big in the second innings to secure an honourable draw. Laird with 92 and 75 laid the foundation however.

First test – England v Australia, Perth

In: Wiener, Toohey, Dymock

Out: McCosker, Hookes, Hogg

Plucked from nowhere, based on a few fifties in the Shield and Cup, was Julian Wiener. An unbelievable selection, he had played neither tests nor WSC the season before. Similarly, Peter Toohey, not even in the top 8 batsmen for the India tour, despite being a great spin player – recalled. Hookes was dropped after scoring 43 and 37, against the actual Fab 4 of Holding, Roberts, Garner and Croft.

Kim Hughes played another classic lone hand of 99 to set up a win for Australia, Border consolidating in the second dig and Dymock getting 6. Wiener got a 50 on debut.

Second test – West Indies v Australia – Melbourne

In: Hogg, Higgs

Out: Thomson, Bright

This meant there were now 6 “establishment” players, 4 WSC players and Wildcard Wiener.

We got pumped by 10 wickets, Wiener topscoring in the first, Laird and Hughes getting runs in the second and Lillee, Dymock and Higgs all getting wickets. Hogg got 0-59 off 6. Incredible stuff, Haynes and then Viv taking to him.

Second test – England v Australia, Sydney

I saw every minute of this rain-affected game.

In: McCosker, I Chappell, Pascoe

Out: Laird, Toohey, Hogg. I can’t confirm but presume Laird must have been injured?

Back from the test cricket wilderness came 34 year old Ian Chappell, 4 years after his retirement.

Lillee and Dymock skittled England on a greentop. Then Chappelli topscored with a vital 42 as we crimped a small but vital lead. Gower’s sublime lone hand meant we had a challenging 200+ chase but G Chappell aided by McCosker and then Hughes with 40s made it look pretty easy (the pitch was drying out – good toss to win!)

Third test – West Indies v Australia – Adelaide

In: Laird, Mallett

Out: McCosker, Higgs

Higgs was dropped after getting 1 over on the SCG seamer. Mallett was back, another 34-yr old veteran coming back after premature retirement. He was just an afterthought for WSC apparently, Packer being no fan of his “Straight breakers”. He had been having a purple patch in the Shield, however.

Lillee’s 5 kept us in the series despite Viv and Lloyd going ballistic. We were 3-26 in reply, but Laird with Hughes and Border got us over 200. Dymock got 5 as they set us almost 600, Laird topscored as we were 400 short in a humiliating loss.

Third test – England v Australia – Melbourne

School was back by the time this game was played in early February.

In: McCosker

Out: Wiener

8 WSC players lined up here.

Hughes ran Gooch out for 99, Lillee got 6, then Laird, Chappelli and Border all got 50s to support the skipper’s ton. Lillee made it 11 for the match then the brothers made hay to sweep the English and super-skipper Brearley 3-0 in the series.

One day teams

The following players, all former test players, played ODI’s that summer without getting a test recall: Walters, Darling, Laughlin, Walker, Yallop and Whatmore.

—

Pakistan tour

Three tests against Pakistan were scheduled. The squad included Hookes, and a number of players not featuring in the tests… Yallop, and Mick Malone as former test players, and Graeme Beard and Geoff Lawson, a couple of uncapped New South Welshmen. Yallop averaged 33 in the Shield without a ton. He did have some success in India the year before however.

From what I recall, Chappelli and Mallett were unavailable. Pascoe may have been injured, or smart enough to fake one, given what was ahead! McCosker was dropped. Peter Toohey, a sublime player of spin, missed out despite averaging 50+ in the Shield and peeling off 3 tons.

Australia lost 1-0 after going behind in the first despite a Hughes special of 85 out of 220 batting at 3. They prepared flat tracks for the final two games and runs flowed for most guys. Our highly variable top 6 lineups were:

Laird, Yallop (!), Hughes, Chappell, Hookes, Border

then

Wiener, Laird, Hughes, Chappell, Yallop, Border

We broke every cardinal rule by changing the openers nearly every test. (This would continue in 80-1 when Laird would be dropped, then brought back for the tough 81-2 series then dropped again. He and Dyson and Wood and then Wessels played roundabouts, with Wayne Phillips popping up in 83-4 but Wood and Dyson reverting for 84-5, until Digger Hilditch was reborn.)

Postscript

Bizarrely, despite some solid form, Wiener was then overlooked for the Centenary test tour – for Wood and Dyson, who had not played a test all summer. Wood originally couldn’t get into the WA squad, and didn’t make a ton all season. But he had admirers, it was rumoured WSC tried to sign him for the second year. Mallett also came back into the squad, and played in the Centenary Test, which was to be his last.

In summary, senior WSC players in Chappelli, McCosker and Mallett all returned to the test team but were gone for good from it within 6 months. There was clearly no interest from them or the selectors in building a team for the future, which would rebound on them the next year in England (when Kent, T Chappell and Wellham joined Hughes, Border, Yallop, Dyson and Wood in one of the weakest and most inexperienced lineups ever to tour.)

Guys like Walker and Malone didn’t play a test after WSC. In fact, of the 26 in the original WSC squad, 13 never played a test afterwards. Of the 13 that did play, only 5 had careers of note after the peace deal – G Chappell, Lillee, Marsh, Laird and Pascoe. Hookes had one good season and Bright a couple of good matches.

Considering WSC was supposed to have improved the games of those who partook, perhaps it’s fair to say it made stars even better. And uncovered a few new ones, in Laird and Wessels. But it did no favours to fringe or older players.

So the story of selection seems one of random choosing between two relatively mediocre squads, with no real reference to form or youth/experience. At times, almost random.

I remember the players well PW, but the series and the matches seem lost in memory and the confusing filtering/selection. How good was Sheffield Shield in those days? The many ins and outs highlights the depth of first class cricket back then. Or at least it’s visibility prior to the sublimation into shorter forms. Put the names in a hat and you would draw out 3 decent Australian sides.
And the strength of the competitors. The Windies line up of the day is probably the greatest side I ever saw. Greenidge, Haynes, Viv, Clive, Dujon, and the extraordinary quicks of Roberts, Holding, Marshall, Garner. Roger Harper’s fielding.
And the Pom’s batting line up was pretty good.
Only India approximates the same quality these days. Or at least that’s what my rose coloured nostalgia glasses see.
Thanks for the memories Cranky (you should comment more on Citrus’s pieces so we can do a Cranky and Grumpy Pete double act).

Yes, WSC was the best cricket ever played… when the World were taking on the Windies.

Sliding doors and Chappelli enjoys the year off in 76 and stays, as does Mallett. They don’t jettison Turner nor shaft Yallop. We transition in a more orderly manner.

All Bradman and the Board had to do was open up the purse strings.

We were a fair to middling team until the SA tour broke, able to beat most at home of flat decks…! Of course should have won in England in 81 but they were a pretty medicore team too.

In terms of the format, I think if we have to have split series, I quite like the idea of interchanging, and three-waying the ODI games into the fuller season. It stops those sorts of “over by end of November” debacles against the Windies.

(More generally I think the 75-77 transition and the 76/7 troubles, with Thommo injured, and the strain that placed on Greg Chappell’s captaincy – never been fully explored. And why he was put in a skipper automatically in 79-80 – if Ian had been made skipper again he might even have hung around for a couple of seasons while things stabilised. I think guys like Hughes and Border would have learned more under a couple of seasons with him than under 5 or 6 with Gregory Stephen.)

PB I am about to do a piece on the extraordinary impact of Mikey Holding in the 79-85 tests here. They were some tam, which is why our “shoulda” win in 81-2, in a great, tight series, sticks with me.

In the last Supertests they had Roy Fredericks at 3 behind Greenidge and Haynes, then Viv and Rowe, with Lloyd at 6. wow! If they had had Dujon at that stage I would rank it the scariest lineup ever. Oh, and Roberts Holding Garner Croft. Ouchy!

In terms of the Shield I see the pinnacle as being the 82-3 Final, the first, WA at home to NSW, Test players everywhere, WA collapsing on the last day allegedly as some Hughes sledging backfired. A brilliant game, wrong result.

If you wanna see actual Cranky, I am going fully sick on the Guardian about Maxwell’s treatment and the Smith cabal. Boo to them, I say!

Will watch out for the Guardian piece with interest CP. Would love to read a piece on Harold Park trots. I guess 1980 is the Joe Ilsley, Vic Frost era. Gleeson and Aiken and rampant doping comes later.

1980, Ross Adams, the daily double live on the ABC for some reason (Ray Conroy calling), the beautiful Locarno winning the Miracle Mile, Kevin Newman (RIP), Margaret Frost and Debbie Wicks breaking the gender door down, Pure Steel – loved him, the end of Paleface, chocolate thickshakes and having sneaky $1 bets in your school uniform at the tote window, deepest voice and looking serious. Frosty Imp and Koala King, the Lucky Creed and Cocky Raider of the day. all the time telling people “they’re good, but they are not Halwes”. Teen Queen and her winning streak. Richmond Dogs between races, on the radio. Forecast (pre-exacta) and concession betting (money back for second). The sound of the whips and the wheels. The drone of the car that did the grading between races. Sometimes going over the back to the Paddock.

Swish presumably there was some sort of intent to pick a number of big names as the season had to be a success, in the public eye and especially the ratings?

(not the same but difficult to manage the transition, like SA with quotas – which I support.)

But the weird ones like Wiener, the recall of Wood, the glaring omission of Toohey from tours that would suit him. It’s just mind-boggling.

I was reliving Tangles’ season, he did very well and must have been a bit stiff to not get a game or at least to tour for the Centenary Test. (Of course we went in with two spinners and paid the price.)

Very interesting reading thanks, Pete. I’m reading Bob Simpson’s autobiography at the moment and (while he doesn’t exactly dance through the pages) his perspective on the WSC period was that they basically did no work fostering the talent of the young Australian players on their list, which led to the grim times in the early to mid ’80s. With someone like Hookes he suggests that more work should’ve been put into helping him develop a technique that would be sustainable at the highest level, but that didn’t happen. No doubt Chappelli would have a different opinion.

Still, Hookes is an interesting one. He actually did better than most Aussies during WSC, even after having his jaw crunched. Why, as a golden boy that establishment were keen to keep back in 77, he was then dropped after one reasonably successful outing – dunno. Payback? (Or was he injured – a proper piece would involve perusing the rags for the three months but that’s a post-retirement kids at uni sort of project – we really need an intern!) No, just checked, he played a one-dayer the next week.

He was a see ball hit ball sort of guy. Could have been anything but boy did he have a stop-start career. Christian Ryan should do a book about him. Talk about rubbing people up the wrong way. Not apportioning blame BTW. Neutral…

But guys like Kent, Langer, quality batsmen, left to play on the country grounds. Great experience but so much limited overs stuff it must have dumbed them down a bit in the end? Ian Davis – only 24 and getting a second chance. Should have been about to peak.

yet other guys like Serjeant wish they had gone to WSC.

There’s never really been a peace, a reconciliation, an agreement on the storylines. Just a victor’s version of events, as John Butler references above.

And then parroted by those who weren’t even old enough to know, eg SK Warne, who was 9 when WSC came to an end.

In terms of Maxwell and the Guardian, I am in true Russian Civil War Siberian Green Guerrilla mode. Get in, hit em hard, get out. I am definitely playing the man when it comes to the cherrypicking old age leg spinning nonallrounder Trevor Moans.

Austin Robertson was Kim Hughes’ childhood hero and played a key part in his small-t tragedy. It’s a funny old…

I genuinely think if you look at the matches between the Windies and the World you are seeing cricket at its pinnacle. It should probably have been the Windies versus the World including Australia. Add Lillee and G Chappell to the squads, wowsers.

Glorious stuff PW. I was a wee bit too young and only remember snippets of that summer, like Botham’s astonishing caught and bowled, Lillee’s aluminium bat and the Windies quicks in full throttle. A lot of my knowledge of the era comes from a few books dad got me just before the 81/82 season. One book was about the 78/79 ‘official’ test summer vs. England/Pakistan i.e. Hoggy 12.85, Yallop agony, Border debut, Safraz 7 for 1, etc. The other book was the magnificent ‘Calypso Summers’ which detailed every Australia/Windies test series, including scorecards. I devoured it. If I recall correctly the book also previewed the 81/82 summer (the greatest of all time for me) and Viv Richards’ test average just prior to the series was a whopping 62.01 – which means in the second half of his career he only averaged in the high thirties.

I recall peter Toohey being recalled for those two tests in 1979-80: a big shock. He’d been good in the 1977-78 season, did well in the Windies. 1978-79 he didn’t measure up, being dropped, not playing again until that recall 12 months later. Two more tests then gone for ever.

Rick Darling played a few ODI’s in 1979-80, then he was gone forever.

They did better than chaps like Gary Cosier, david Ogilvie, Sam Gannon, etc, all gone , forever, prior to 1979-80.

Mike Holding: what a great bowler. I reckon his finest moment was at the Oval in the last test of the 1976 series, with 14 wickets. The vast majority we bowled or LBW. FAST!

DB that’s an interesting point you make about Viv, and one people should remember when projecting forward re Smith, especially as both are skippering from that point on. (I do recall him becoming like Greenidge, a player of major innings, rather than a consistent accumulator. The 200 in 84 was an outlier as he was almost invisible that series, it was Gomes and Richardson and Dujon that did the damage.)

I agree 81-2, the tests against Pakistan were great, too.

In terms of the WIndies ones, we could have won 3-0, they could have won 3-0, so I guess a draw was OK, but generally I feel we blew it.

Glen, Rick Darling was a weird one. Two years later, they brought him back into the ODI set up. We were moving to Wood, Laird. Dyson as the preferred 1-2-3 that summer (while shafting both Yallop and Wellham in the middle of the tests.)

But in the ODIs, at one stage, in the same XI, we found room for Wood, Laird, Rick McCosker – also back after two years – and then Darling in the middle order. (Hughes out with his broken toe I think).

I think Darling always got a go because of his fielding. He had a very low strike rate in ODI for someone considered a dasher.

They also brought Mick Malone back for the summer’s ODIs. Almost the beginning of the clear trajectory to specialist teams for each format. (Notwithstanding T Chappell, Graf and Beard getting a run the year before, but they were allrounder types. I mean for batting.)

Pete, there was a very interesting snippet in the Age this morning about Kane Richardson.
He played in the last ODI series, in India, taking 7 wickets @ 22.57 with an economy rate of 5.47.
He said he found it “interesting” that AJ Tye and J Richardson were selected on the basis of their JLT Cup form, when he could not play in that competition because he was in India representing Australia.
It seems incumbency counts for nowt.

Interesting read,Pete geez it was revolving doors at selection some truth in it re lack of teaching of young players in World Series cricket for mine with,Hooksey the classic his footwork against spinners more than lacked finesse,the last test against,India here in Adelaide was a ripper v close game,Thommo did a hammy did it go 6 days ? Dennis Yagmich was a v v good keeper tho

Brilliantly written, researched and remembered Peter. What a fascinating time in cricket history.
I never knew the Tests in 1979/80 were intertwined, it’s a wonder that was never trialled again.
Your thoughts on First-class status for WSC matches?
Reckon G.Maxwell would be one of the first players signed up if WSC happened right now.

Ta Peter. Rick Darling was great fieldsman in the covers, but didn’t measure up with the bat. His test best was 91, in the fourth test of the 1978-79 summer. He nearly died in the following test. Struck whilst batting, he swallowed his tongue . Lucky escape.

T Chappell, got three tests with his ODI’s. I watched his career, though i can’t recall any highlights. Was there an ODI ton ?

S Graf, carried the drinks for the test team once. Regular ODI player in 1980-81. He finshed up in WA. Did he play in their shield winning team in 83-84?

G Beard, worked for the AWU. He toured Pakistan, played all three tests, though the only wickets he took were in the final test.

Peter, i’ll push in to answer Lukes Q? YES, they were contested by the best players in the game, who played these matches to win. Good cricket.

Love this piece. Apropos the comment about Chappelli not being available for the Pakistan tour, I thought he announced his retirement before that tour (just after SA lost the last game of the Sheffield Season to Victoria – which included Chappelli’s last ton?) I recall news on 5AD (or was it 5KA?) of his imminent move to Sydney to take up a full-time position with Channel 9.

As for Hookesy, another SA player able to make glorious runs on the short boundaries of the Adelaide Oval (there’s always a bus going to cowshot corner at the Adelaide Oval) but unable to transfer that ability to less accommodating grounds. Just ask Glenn Bishop and Paul Nobes.

Warwick Maxwell Darlings life was effectively saved by John Emburey I was sitting with my sister one row from the front she nearly ran on to the ground as a doctor but nominated it straight away that,Emburey had cleared his throat and saved him before it was reported well and truly

The bloody game against NSW a fuming,a sa batsman at the non strikers end for several 2nd innings SA wickets reported to the rooms that Pascoe was bowling huge no balls in the second innings and wasn’t called trust me that stain on the game is not forgotten by Redbacks players

Terrific memories PW. Loved Geoff Dymock’s action. Jeff ‘Groucho’ Moss was one who had a big season for Victoria in 79-80 yet didn’t get a look in for the national team. Stumpy Laird topped the batting averages against the Windies..Heady days.

Jeff Moss’s big season was 1978-79, the season we lost 5-1 to England. I was at the MCG when he scored a double ton V South Australia. He played the final test of the summer, the fiery WACA clash V Pakistan.

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